    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
    [October 27, 2004]
    [Pages 2755-2762]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in Lititz, Pennsylvania
    October 27, 2004

        The President. Listen, before I want to say something, I'm traveling
    with a guest and a friend who represents thousands of people all across
    this country who are affiliated with the Democrat Party. My friend has
    come from Georgia to share a message with you about how we're going to
    work with Republicans and Democrats and independents to carry the great
    State of Pennsylvania. Please welcome my friend Senator Zell
    Miller. [Applause] I'm thrilled to be traveling
    with him.
        I told Zell when we landed, I said, ``This
    is a good size crowd here, and there's a reason why: because we're going
    to carry Pennsylvania on November the 2d.'' And that's what I'm here to
    do. I'm here to ask for your vote and ask for your help. I'm asking that
    you turn out your friends and neighbors to the polls. I'm asking you to
    continue to make the phone calls and put up the signs. I'm asking you to
    do everything you can because with your help, we'll make America a safer
    country, a stronger country, and a better country for every single
    citizen.
        Perhaps the most important reason to put me back into office is so
    that Laura will be the First Lady for 4 more
    years. When I asked her to marry me, she said, ``Fine, just make me a
    promise.'' I said, ``What is it?'' ``Promise me I'll never have to give
    a political speech.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Okay, you got a deal.''
    Fortunately, she didn't hold me to that deal. She is giving a lot of
    speeches, and when she does, the American people see a fine,
    compassionate, strong First Lady.
        I'm proud of my runningmate, Dick Cheney. I
    admit it, he does not have the waviest hair in the race. [Laughter]
    You'll be happy to hear I didn't pick him because of his hairdo. I
    picked him because of his judgment. I picked him because of experience.
    He's getting the job done for the American people.
        What a great United States Senator Rick Santorum is. He and Zell serve in the
    Senate together. I'm proud to have Rick Santorum as my campaign manager
    for the State of Pennsylvania. I'm proud to--excuse me--call him friend,
    and I know you're proud to call him Senator. And I hope you put Arlen
    Specter back in there. We need to work with
    him for 6 more years.
        I'm honored to be on the stage with Joe Pitts, Congressman from this area. I appreciate you being here,
    Joe. Thanks for your service. I want to thank Pat Toomey for the class he showed during the primary campaign. I
    appreciate his leadership and his service to the Congress.
        I want to thank all the candidates who are here, people running for
    office. I wish you all the best coming down the stretch. I want to thank
    my friend Daron Norwood and the Matt
    Goss Band for singing.
        Most of all, I want to thank you all. You've lifted our spirits for
    being here. You're kind with your time, and I want to thank you for
    coming. This election comes down to some clear choices----
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. This election comes down to some clear choices, clear
    choices for our families. We have issues of great consequence. The first
    clear choice is the most important because it concerns the security of
    your family. All the progress on every other issue depends on the safety
    of our citizens. It will be the first Presidential election since
    September the 11th, 2001. Americans will go to the polls in a time of
    war, an ongoing threat unlike any we have ever faced before. The
    terrorists who killed thousands are still dangerous, and they are
    determined to strike again. And

    [[Page 2756]]

    the outcome of this election will set the direction of the war against
    the terrorists.
        The most solemn duty of the American President is to protect the
    American people. If America shows uncertainty or weakness in this
    decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This will not happen on my
    watch.
        Since that terrible morning of September the 11th, 2001, we fought
    the terrorists across the Earth, not for pride, not for power but
    because the lives of our citizens are at stake. Our strategy is clear.
    We've strengthened the protection of the homeland. Tom Ridge, the former Governor of your State, is doing a great job
    as the Secretary of Homeland Security. We're strengthening our
    intelligence capabilities. We're transforming our military. There will
    be no draft. The All-Volunteer Army will remain an all-volunteer army.
    We're staying on the offensive. We're relentless. We are determined. We
    will strike the terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at
    home.
        And part of our strategy is to spread liberty. We believe in the
    transformational power of liberty to change societies. Think what
    happened in Afghanistan; think about what's happened there. It wasn't
    all that long ago that young girls couldn't go to school, and if their
    mothers didn't toe the line of the ideologues of hate which ran that
    country, they were whipped in the public square and sometimes executed
    in a sports stadium. Because we acted in our self-interest, because we
    acted to destroy Al Qaida's capacity to train in Afghanistan, millions
    of people went to vote in a Presidential election. The first voter in
    that election was a 19-year-old woman.
    Freedom is on the march, and America is more secure for it.
        Iraq will be having Presidential elections in January. That society
    has come a long way from the days of torture chambers and mass graves.
    Free societies are hopeful societies. By spreading freedom and liberty,
    we not only secure ourselves in the short term, we spread the peace that
    we all long for so our children and our grandchildren can grow up in a
    hopeful tomorrow.
        A President has to lead with consistency and strength. In a war,
    sometimes your tactics have to change but not your principles. Americans
    have seen how I do my job. Even when you might not agree with me, you
    know what I believe and where I stand and where I intend to lead our
    country. On good days and on bad days, whether the polls are up or the
    polls are down, I am determined to win this war on terror and to protect
    the American people. And I will always support the men and women who
    wear their Nation's uniform.
        I want to thank those who wear the uniform. I want to thank the
    families of our military. And I want to thank the veterans who are here
    who have set such a great example. We have a duty to support those in
    harm's way with all the resources they need, necessary for them to do
    their job. That's why I went to the United States Congress and asked for
    $87 billion of supplemental funding to support our troops in combat. And
    we got good support in the Congress. Matter of fact, the support was so
    strong that only 12 United States Senators voted against the
    supplemental funding request, 2 of whom were my opponent and his runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. As you're out gathering the vote and as you're out
    talking to people about this election, remind people of this startling
    statistic: Only four members of the United States Senate voted to
    authorize the use of force and then voted against providing the funding
    for our troops in combat--only four, two of whom were my opponent and his runningmate.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. So they asked him--they
    asked him--I'm sure the people of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, are just as
    surprised as people all around the country when he gave his famous
    answer about his vote. He said, ``I actually did vote for the $87
    billion,

    [[Page 2757]]

    right before I voted against it.'' [Laughter] He's given a lot of
    explanations since then, a lot of them. One of the most interesting ones
    of all was that it was just a complicated matter. There's nothing
    complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
        After repeatedly calling Iraq the ``wrong war'' and a ``diversion,''
    Senator Kerry this week seemed shocked to
    learn that Iraq was a dangerous place full of dangerous weapons.
    [Laughter] The Senator used to know that, even though he seems to have
    forgotten it over the course of the campaign. But after all, that's why
    we're there. Iraq was a dangerous place run by a dangerous
    tyrant who had a lot of weapons. We have
    seized or destroyed more than 400,000 tons of munitions, including
    explosives, at more than a--thousands of different sites, and we're
    continuing to round up more weapons every day. I want to remind the
    American people, if Senator Kerry had his way, we would still be taking
    our ``global test.'' Saddam Hussein would still be in power. He would
    control all those weapons and explosives and could have shared them with
    our terrorist enemies.
        Now, the Senator is making wild charges
    about missing explosives when his top foreign policy adviser admits, quote, ``We do not know the facts.'' Think
    about that. The Senator is denigrating the action of our troops and
    commanders in the field without knowing the facts. Unfortunately, that's
    part of a pattern of saying almost anything to get elected, like when
    Senator Kerry charged that our military failed to get Usama bin
    Laden at Tora Bora, even though our top
    military commander, General Tommy Franks,
    said, ``The Senator's understanding of events does not square with
    reality.'' And our intelligence reports placed bin Laden in any of
    several different countries at the time.
        Our military is now investigating a number of possible scenarios,
    including that the explosives may have been moved before our troops even
    arrived at the site. This investigation is important, and it's ongoing.
    And a political candidate who jumps to conclusions without knowing the
    facts is not a person you want as your Commander in Chief.
        When it comes to your security--when it comes to the security of our
    families, my opponent takes a very different
    approach. He says that September the 11th did not change him much at
    all.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. And his policies make that clear. He says the war on terror is primarily a law enforcement and
    intelligence gathering operation. Well, September the 11th changed me. I
    remember the day I was in the--at Ground Zero, on September the 4th,
    2001. It's a day I will never forget. There were workers in hardhats
    there yelling at me at the top of their lungs, ``Whatever it takes.'' I
    remember a man grabbed me by the arm, he looked me square in the eye,
    and he said, ``Do not let me down.'' Ever since that day, I wake up
    every morning trying to figure out how to better protect America. I will
    never relent in defending America, whatever it takes.
        The second clear choice in this election concerns your family
    budget. When I ran for President 4 years ago, I pledged to lower taxes
    for American families. And I kept my word. We've doubled the child
    credit to $1,000 per child. We reduced the marriage penalty. The Tax
    Code should encourage marriage, not penalize marriage. We created the
    lowest--a lower tax bracket of 10 percent so working families would get
    help. We reduced income taxes for everybody who paid income taxes. We
    helped our farmers. We helped our ranchers. We helped our small-business
    owners. After-tax income--that's the money in your pocket--increased by
    about 10 percent since I became your President.
        Our economy has been through a lot, and I want you to remind your
    friends and neighbors about these facts. First, 6 months

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    prior to our arrival in Washington, the stock market was in serious
    decline, and then we had a recession. Then we had corporate scandals,
    and then the attacks of September the 11th cost us about a million jobs
    in the 3 months after that fateful day.
        But we acted. By cutting the taxes, we spurred consumption and
    investment, and our economic policies have led us back to growth. Our
    economy is growing faster than in any nation in the industrialized
    world. We've added 1.9 million new jobs since August of 2003. The
    national unemployment rate is 5.4 percent, which is lower than the
    average rate of the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s. The unemployment
    rate in Pennsylvania is 5.3 percent. Homeownership rate is at an alltime
    high. Farm income is up. The small-business sector of our economy is
    flourishing. The entrepreneurial spirit is strong, and we're not going
    to go back to the days of tax and spend.
        My opponent has very different plans for
    your budget. He's going to take a big chunk out of it. He voted against
    all the tax relief that I suggested Congress pass. If he'd had his way,
    the average family in America would be paying $2,000 more in taxes to
    the Federal Government.
        Audience members. Boo-o-o!
        The President. All told, during his 20 years in the United States
    Senate, he has voted to raise taxes 98 times.
    That's five times a year. I would call that a predictable pattern.
    [Laughter] When a Senator does something that often, he must really
    enjoy it. [Laughter] During this campaign, he's proposed $2.2 trillion
    of new spending. Now, that is a trillion with a ``T.'' That's a lot even
    for a Senator from Massachusetts. [Laughter]
        So they said, ``How are you going to pay for it?'' And he said, ``Oh, we're just going to tax the rich.'' Now,
    you've heard that before. Be wary when you hear, ``Oh, we're just going
    to tax the rich.'' My opponent has promised 2.2 trillion, but when you
    run up the top two brackets, you only raise between 600 and 800 billion.
    There is a gap between that which he promised and that which he can
    deliver. And guess who usually fills that gap?
        Audience members. We do!
        The President. We're not going to let him
    tax you; we're going to carry Pennsylvania on November the 2d and win a
    great victory.
        Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
        The President. The third clear choice in this election involves the
    quality of life of our families. A good education and quality health
    care are important to a successful life. As a candidate, I pledged to
    challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations by reforming our public
    schools. And as President, I kept my word. We passed education reforms
    to bring high standards to our classrooms and to make schools
    accountable to our parents. We're seeing progress all across America.
    Math and reading scores are on the rise. Achievement gaps, particularly
    for minority students, are closing all across our country. We're
    building on these reforms. We'll extend them to our high schools so that
    no child is left behind in America.
        We'll continue to improve our lives. We're making health care more
    accessible and affordable. We will expand health savings accounts so
    small businesses can cover their workers and more families are able to
    get health care accounts they manage and call their own. We will create
    association health plans so small businesses can join together and buy
    insurance at the same discounts that big companies are able to do. We
    will help families in need by expanding community health centers. We'll
    make sure every eligible child is enrolled in our Government's low-
    income health insurance programs.
        And to help the families of Pennsylvania, we will do something about
    the frivolous lawsuits that are running up the cost of medicine and
    running good doctors out of practice. Like other States, you've got an

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    issue when it comes to these medical liability lawsuits. I met too many
    good ob-gyns who have been run out of practice because their premiums
    have gone up too high. I have met expectant mothers here in Pennsylvania
    who are worried about whether they and their baby will get the health
    care they need. You cannot be pro-doctor and pro-patient and pro-
    personal-trial-lawyer at the same time. You have to make your choice. My
    opponent made his choice, and he put a
    personal injury trial lawyer on the ticket. I
    have made my choice. I'm standing with the doctors of Pennsylvania, with
    the patients of Pennsylvania. I'm for medical liability reform--now.
        My opponent has got a different view when
    it comes to health care. I remember our debate, when he looked right in
    the camera and he said his health care plan, ``the Government has
    nothing to do with it.'' I could barely contain myself. [Laughter]
        The Government has got a lot to do with it. Eight out of ten people
    would be signed up to a Government program. Think about the idea of
    making it easier for people to sign up for Medicaid. It means small
    businesses will no longer provide coverage for their employees because
    the Government will. And people would be moved from private insurance to
    Government insurance. You see, when the Government writes the checks,
    the Government starts making the rules. And when it comes to health
    care, when the Government makes the rules, the Government starts making
    your decisions. And they start making the decisions for you, and they
    start making the decisions for the doctors.
        His plan is a big Government-run health
    care plan. It is the wrong prescription for American families. In all we
    do to reform health care, we'll make sure the decisions are made by
    doctors and patients, not by officials in Washington, DC.
        The fourth clear choice in this election involves your retirement.
    Our Nation has made a solemn commitment to America's seniors on Social
    Security and Medicare. When I ran for President 4 years ago, I promised
    to keep that commitment and improve Medicare by adding prescription drug
    coverage. I kept my word. Seniors are now getting discounts on medicine
    with drug discount cards. Low-income seniors are getting $600 of help
    this year and $600 of help next year to help them afford prescription
    drugs. And beginning in 2006, all seniors will be able to get
    prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
        And we'll keep the promise of Social Security for our seniors, and
    as we do so, we'll strengthen Social Security for generations to come. I
    want you to remember what happened in the 2000 campaign. It is--it's
    pretty predictable what takes place when it comes to elections. You
    might remember, they said, ``If George W. gets elected, our seniors will
    not get their checks.'' Well, I want you to remind your friends and
    neighbors when you're out gathering up the vote that George W. did get
    elected, and our seniors did get their checks. And our seniors will
    continue to get their checks under Social Security, no matter what the
    politicians try to scare you with. Baby boomers like me are in pretty
    good shape when it comes to the Social Security trust.
        But we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren. We
    need to worry about whether the Social Security system will be there
    when they need it. And that's why I think younger workers ought to be
    able to take some of their own money and put it in a personal savings
    account, a savings account that will earn a better rate of return, a
    savings account they call their own, a savings account that the
    Government cannot take away.
        My opponent takes a different approach
    when it comes to Social Security. He declared he will protect Social
    Security. But I want you to remind people that he voted eight times for
    higher taxes on Social Security benefits. And when it comes to the next
    generation, he hasn't offered anything

    [[Page 2760]]

    at all when it comes to strengthening Social Security. The job of a
    President is to confront problems, not to pass them on to future
    generations and future Presidents. In a new term, I'll bring people
    together and strengthen the Social Security system for generations to
    come.
        In this campaign, I'm speaking to the hopes of all Americans. The
    President's job is not to lead one party, but to serve the entire
    Nation. I'm proud to have lifelong Democrats like Zell Miller by my side, and he's joined by millions of other
    Democrats across our country who are supporting our ticket. As the
    citizens of this Nation prepare to vote, I want to speak directly to the
    Democrats. I'm a proud Republican, but I believe my policies appeal to
    many Democrats. In fact, I believe my opponent
    is running away from some of the great traditions of the Democrat Party.
    If you're a Democrat and you want America to be strong and confident in
    our ideals, I'd be honored to have your vote.
        The Democratic Party has a great tradition of leading this country
    with strength and conviction in times of war and crisis. I think of
    Franklin Roosevelt's commitment to total victory. I think of Harry
    Truman's clear vision at the beginning of the cold war. I think of John
    Kennedy's brave declaration of American ideals. President Kennedy said,
    ``The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from
    the hand of God.''
        Many Democrats look at my opponent and wonder where the--that great
    tradition of their party has gone. My opponent
    takes a narrow, defensive view of the war on terror. As the United
    States of America hunts down the terrorists and liberates millions from
    tyranny and aids the rise of liberty in distant lands, my opponent
    counsels retreat, votes against supporting our troops in combat,
    downplays the power of democracy, and accepts and adopts a narrow so-
    called realism that is little more than defeatism.
        I believe American leadership is the hope of the repressed, the
    source of our great security, and the greatest force for good in this
    world. I believe the liberation of captive peoples is a noble
    achievement that all Americans can be proud of. If you are a Democrat
    who wants America to lead with strength and idealism, I would be honored
    to have your vote.
        The Democratic Party has a tradition of support for our public
    schools. The party of Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey always stood up
    for the right of poor and minority children to get the best education
    America could offer. Many Democrats look at my opponent and wonder where that firm conviction has gone. Just as
    teachers and principals across America are lifting the sights of our
    schools and raising the test scores of minority children, my opponent is
    talking about weakening the standards and going back to the old days of
    stagnation and excuses for failure.
        I got into politics and I ran for Governor of Texas because I wanted
    to challenge that soft bigotry of low expectations. I didn't want to
    stand by and watch another generation of students miss out on the
    opportunity of our great country. When I came to Washington, I made
    schools my first domestic priority. We've increased funding to record
    levels. We're demanding results for our children of every background. If
    you're a Democrat who believes in strong public schools that teach every
    child, I'd be honored to have your vote.
        Americans of both political parties have always had respect and
    reverence for the institution of marriage. Never in our history has
    marriage been a partisan issue; it's not a partisan issue today. Yet,
    many Democrats look at my opponent and wonder, where is his commitment
    to defending the basic institution of civilization? He says he supports
    marriage, but he'll do nothing to defend it. My opponent even voted against the Defense of Marriage Act, which
    defined marriage as between a man and a woman. More than two-thirds of
    Democrats

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    in the Senate supported that act, and President Bill Clinton signed it into law. On the issue of protecting
    marriage, the Senator from Massachusetts is outside the mainstream of
    America and outside the mainstream of the Democratic Party.
        I believe that our society must show tolerance and respect for every
    individual, yet I do not believe this commitment of tolerance requires
    us to redefine marriage. If you are a Democrat who believes that
    marriage should be protected from activist judges, I'd be honored to
    have your vote.
        The Democrat Party has also a great tradition of defending the
    defenseless. I remember the strong conscience of the late Democratic
    Governor from Pennsylvania, Robert Casey, who once said that when we
    look to the unborn child, the real issue is not when life begins but
    when love begins. I remember the moral clarity of the late Senator
    Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Democrat of New York, who said that partial-
    birth abortion is, quote, ``as close to infanticide as anything I have
    ever come upon.'' Many Democrats look at my opponent and see an attitude that is much more extreme. He says
    that life begins at conception but denies that our caring society should
    prevent even partial-birth abortion.
        Preventing partial-birth abortion is an ethical conviction shared by
    many people of every faith and by people who have no religion at all. I
    understand good people disagree on the life issue, so I've worked with
    Republicans and Democrats to find common ground on difficult questions
    and to move this goodhearted Nation toward a culture of life. If you're
    a Democrat who believes that our society must always have room for the
    voiceless and the vulnerable, I would be honored to have your vote.
        There are Democrats all over America, north and south, east and
    west, who believe their party's nominee does
    not share their deepest values. I know the Democrats are not going to
    agree with me on every issue. Yet on the big issues of our country's
    security, victory in the war against terror, improving our public
    schools, respecting marriage and human life, I hope people who usually
    vote for the other party will take a close look at my agenda. If you're
    a Democrat and your dreams and goals are not found in the far left wing
    of the Democrat Party, I'd be honored to have your vote. And next
    Tuesday, I ask you to stand with me.
        And I want to thank each and every one of you who have come today
    for standing with me. I appreciate your support. I appreciate your
    convictions. I appreciate your good work. I believe in the future of
    this country.
        One of my favorite quotes was written by a Texan named Tom Lea. He said this, he said, ``Sarah and I live on the
    east side of the mountain. It is the sunrise side, not the sunset side.
    It is the side to see the day that is coming, not to see the day that is
    gone.'' During the course of this campaign, my opponent has spent much of the time talking about the day that is
    gone. I'm talking about the day that is coming.
        We've been through a lot together in the last 4 years. Because we've
    done the hard work of climbing that mountain, we can see the valley
    below. For the next 4 years, we'll protect our families. We'll build on
    the prosperity of our Nation. We will defend our deepest values. We will
    spread freedom and liberty around the world and continue to work for the
    peace we all long for.
        You know, when I campaigned across this great State in 2000, I said
    if you gave me a chance to serve, I would uphold the honor and the
    integrity of the office to which I have been elected. With your help,
    with your hard work, I will do so for 4 more years.
        Thanks for coming. God bless. Thank you all.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:12 a.m. at the Lancaster Airport. In his
    remarks, he referred to entertainer Daron Norwood;

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    Usama bin Laden, leader of the Al Qaida terrorist organization; and Gen.
    Tommy R. Franks, USA (Ret.), former combatant commander, U.S. Central
    Command.